One source of Bush's strength has been the hard core support in rural America -
the Bushburgs that painted the county map Red in 2000.
The Clarke testimony has not yet pried support loose from Bush. But it has hit both his approval number, and caused a steady march upward in the people who believe the country is on the wrong track. It has caused a virtual meltdown for support of the Republican congress, which has all of Bush's negatives on the economy, and none of his positives on the war. In fact, their wilingness to attack Clarke has hurt their credibility.
And take the poll!
The upshot of the numbers is that Bush is vulnerable but needs to be attacked as out of touch, lazy, and unable to follow through. More importantly the Repulican Congress gets more vulnerable every day - scandal, economic failure, and the problems of rural America are hitting home harder every day.
The riptide is that while inflation is low in bushburgia, and so is unemployment, people are bleeding away, towns are closing down and dissolving. There is a dying of a way of life. They thought Republicanism would save it, but it is not.
This ties in with the question of strength, because more than most people, being tied to a great and strong nation is important. Because more than most places, the loss of a son or daughter leaves a hole in the social fabric.